Welt bar for full fashioned hosiery machines



April 27, 1954 P. SAUNDERS WELT EAR FQR FULL FASHIONED HOSIERY MACHINESFiled March 7, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 (I i 1 ml 8 e a, 2 7 Z M .ii. A I Ra M I. lll r Lain I y 9 4 W 6 I18 7 E. 0 w .2 3 4 .7 f" p 4 Q n r m u n6 w b) a E April 27, 1954 A. P. SAUNDERS WELT BAR FOR FULLFASHIONEDHOSIERYMACHINES s Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 7, 1951 April 27;1954 WELT Filed March 7, 1951 A- P. SAUNDERS I BAR FOR FULL FASHIONEDHOSIERY MACHINES s Sheets-Sheet '3 Inventor April 27, 1954 A. P.SAUNDERS 2,676,473

; WELT BAR FOR FULL FASHIONED HOSIERY MACHINES Filed March 7, 1951 5Sheets-Sheet 4 In venlor m! H fem dens Ap 27, 1954 A. P. SAUNDERS WELTBAR FOR FULL FASHIONED HOSIERY MACHINES Filed March 7, 1951 5Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Apr. 27, 1954 WELT BAR FOR FULL FASHIONEDHOSIERY MACHINES Alfred Percy Saunders, Leicester, England, assignor toWildt and Company Limited, Leicester, England, a British companyApplication March 7, 1951, Serial No. 214,334

Claims priority, application Great Britain March 7, 1950 8 Claims.

This invention appertains to full fashioned hosiery machines furnishedwith spring beard needies, and has reference particularly to such machines adapted to produce fully fashioned blanks, e. g. stocking blankshaving welts, i. e. top portions consisting of double fabric.

The invention, moreover, relates to the welt instruments provided insuch machines for picking up from the needles and temporarily retainingthe initial course of loops at the commencement of knitting a blank andfor transferring the aforesaid loops back to the needles after turningof the welt fabric.

Welt hooks are customarily provided for picking up and retaining theinitial course of loops,

and these hooks are combined or closely associated with looptransferring means for the purpose specified.

Heretofore, after the loops of the initial course have been transferredback to the needles, it has almost invariably been necessary so toactuate the welt hook bar, either manually or automatically, as toeffect disengagement of the welt hooks from the said loops. Naturallythis is an opera tion requiring care in its performance and, howevercarefully done, there is a tendency for the hooks as they are withdrawnto damage at least some of the initial loops.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide, in or for afull fashioned hosiery machine, a welt bar of improved form which is soconstructed and operable as to enable the welt hooks to be neutralizedeither preparatory to or during the transfer of initial loops, therebyensuring a smooth, uninterrupted passage of the loops from the looptransferring means back to the needles, and obviating the necessity forsubsequent disengagement of the hooks from the said loops with theconsequent risk of damage thereto.

A further object of the invention is to'provide, in a welt bar, improvedloop transferring means adapted to house the welt hooks when neutralizedand also to facilitate the transference of loops of the initial courseback to the needles, as will be hereinafter described.

The improved welt bar constituting this invention is furnished with aseries of hook-shaped elements (hereinafter for convenience referred toas "welt instruments") for picking up an initial course of loops asaforesaid, and also a corresponding separate series of loopstransferring instruments, the said welt instruments being movablerelatively to the loop transferring instruments and withdrawable to safeidle positions clear of the operative ends of the latter.

According to an important feature of the invention the loop transferringinstruments may advantageously be of hollow form and thereby adapted tohouse the corresponding welt instruments and cover the hooks wheneverthe said instruments are moved to safe idle positions clear of theoperative ends of the loop transferring instruments. The operative endsof the loop transferring instruments, being hollow, are thus adapted toreceive and cover or sheathe the needle hooks suchwise as to facilitatea smooth passage of loops from the loop transferring instruments back tothe needles. It will therefore be appreciated that when the weltinstruments are fully withdrawn into the loop transferring instrumentsand the welt bar is moved to enable the loop transferring instrumentsand the needles to be brought into alignment preparatory to a transferof loops, the needles will then be free to be positioned within thehollow operative ends of the loop transferring instruments and toreceive initial loops from the latter without risk of contacting thewelt instruments.

A specific example of the improved welt bar embodying the foregoing andother features of the invention will now be described with reference tothe accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view partly in vertical section, showing one end of thewelt bar in relation to the knitting instrumentalities of the machine,and with a welt instrument projected to receive from the appropriateneedle a loop of the initial course,

Figure 2 is a similar view to Figure 1 but show ingthe composite weltbar as it appears when moving bodily away from the knittinginstrumentalities to cause the hooked welt instruments to apply tensionto the welt fabric before the latter is turned,

Figure 3 is a further similar view showing the welt bar changingdirection to position the initial course of loops onto the pointed endsof the loop transferring instruments and also to maintain the tension onthe fabric, the hooked welt instru ments being free at this stage to bewithdrawn to their inoperative positions,

Figure 4 is a still further similar view showing the composite welt barin the course of being bodily elevated to a position in which theinitial course of loops can be transferred. back to the needles,

Figure -5 shows the welt bar fully elevated with the needle hook coveredby the operative end of the hollow loop transferring instrument in whichlatter the corresponding and now inoperative welt instrument is housed,

Figure 6 is a detail perspective view of one of the hooked weltinstruments per se,

Figure '7 is a detail perspective view of one of the hollow looptransferring instruments per se, and

Figure 8 is a plan view of the composite welt bar, showing a few only ofthe welt and loop transferring instruments.

Like parts are designated by similar reference characters throughout thedrawings.

Each of the welt instruments 5 is formed with a relatively fine hook 2of a reduced section, and has a stem 3 which is wider and thicker thanthe said hook; Between the hook 2 and the stem 3, however, there is anintermediate tapered portion 4. The back edge of the stem (:3 isrecessed at 5 for a purpose hereinafter to be explained. At the end ofthe instrument l remote from the hook 2, there is a down-turned locatingtail 3.

The hooked welt instruments l are fixedly mounted in an appropriatelycut portion "i of a bar 8, and are located by engagement of their tailsii in holes 9 drilled in the said bar. This is, of course, a method wellknown for locating bearded needles. When the full complement of weltinstruments i has been assembled in the bar 8, the instruments aresecured by a holding bar H] which is locked to the bar by screws l iscrewed into tapped holes I2 formed in the bar at regularly spacedintervals therealong (see Figure 8). The bars 3 and Ill, together withthe welt instruments i, accordingly constitute a unit which may beregarded as the hooked welt bar.

As shown more clearly in Figure 7, each of the loop transferringinstruments l3 in this example is quite separate from the correspondinghooked welt instrument i and is generally of U-section hollow form fromend to end. Each instrument l3 therefore has upstanding parallel sidewalls id merging into a rounded bottom and is thereby adapted entirelyto enclose the corresponding welt instrument i when the latter is fullyretracted thereinto. Thus, again referring to Figure 7, eachchannel-shaped loop transferring instrument has a point 55 at itsleading end, transferring shoulders H5 at short distance behind the saidpoint, and locating means constituted by recesses l! formed in the upperedges of the parallel side walls Id of the instrument. The rear end ofthe instrument :3 is, of course, entirely open to permit of longitudinalmovement therethrough of the corresponding welt instrument 5.

The loop transferring instruments is are carried in a second bar i8having grooves l9 cut therein to receive them. To secure the instrumentsH3 in the bar :8 there is provided an uppersecuring plate 2d which hasformed on its underside a locating tenon 2! adapted to engage in theaforementioned recesses l! for the purpose of aligning the assembledloop transferring instruments. The rear marginal edge portions of thebar it? and of the associated securing plate are secured together bymeans of screws Zia with a spacing bar 22 interposed between them. Thescrewed portions of the screws Zia are located in tapped holes formed atregularly spaced intervals along the plate 2%. As will be appreciatedfrom a consideration of each of Figures 1-5, the structure comprisingthe bar 53, the upper securing plate 26 and the interposed spacing bar22 constitutes, in effect, an outer hollow bar for the loop transferringinstruments E3, the space 23 within the said bar serving not only toaccommodate, but also to permit of relative sliding movement back andforth of, the hooked welt bar composed of the two bars 8 and Hi. Whenthe hooked welt bar is drawn right back into contact with the spacingbar 22, the hooks 2 are located to the rear of the points P5 of the looptransferring instruments I 3. As shown in Figure 8, projections 24 areprovided at the opposite ends of the bars 8 and i0, thereby enabling thelatter to be further locked together, by screws 25, and providing aready means of operating the bars either manually or automatically.

Referring now to Figure 1, the composite welt bar is shown moved towardsthe needles 26, with the welt instruments I fully projected.Consequently, when the initial loops such as L are drawn over thesinkers 27, movement of the needles downward conjointly with retractionof the sinkers will cause the said loops to land onto the stems of thewelt instruments i. As knitting proceeds, the composite welt bar ismoved away from the needles 26, with the instruments I still projected,so that the welt fabric F is tensioned as shown in Figure 2. When thefabric F is turned, either manually or automatically, as depicted inFigure 3, a rod 28 is inserted and, by an appropriate change indirection of the com-- posite welt bar, the initial loops L are drawnonto the pointed ends of the loop transferring instruments I3 andarrested by the transfer shoulders [6. At this stage the bars 8 and ittogether constituting the hooked welt bar, can convenient 1y be drawnback up to the spacing bar 22 so as to position the hooks 2 entirelywithin the hollow loop transferring instruments safely behind the pointsI5 thereof. As knitting continues, the composite welt bar is movedforward and ele' vated, in the manner depicted in Figure so asultimately to be in a position to receive the needle hooks 2611 uponcompletion of the welt fabric 1? and to enable the initial loops L to bereturned to the needles to close the welt. In Figure 5 the needle hooks26a are shown within the loop transferring instruments l3 and the weltinstruments 1 are clear of the needle heads. When subsequently the weltfabric F is moved from position a on the instruments l3 to the positionb on the stems of the needles 2%, the movement of loops L is smooth anduninterrupted owing to the needle heads being sheathed by theinstruments [3.

Referring to Figures 6 and '7, the intermediate tapered portion 4between the hook 2 and the stem 3 of each welt instrument 1 is adaptedto lift an initial loop L to a position suitable for landing onto thetransfer shelf 28 of the corresponding loop transferring instrument It(Figure 7). As will be appreciated, the recess 5 in the back of eachwelt instrument I is provided to receive the point H) of thecorresponding instrument I3. The hollow pointed end of each looptransferring instrument is adapted to accommodate both a hook 2 and aneedle hook 26c without these fouling one another.

Although for the sake of convenience in Figure 8, a few only of theinstruments l and I3 are shown assembled in the end portions of the bars8 and I0 and I8 respectively, it is, of course, to be understood thatthe said bars are equipped with a full complement of instruments,according to requirements.

At 30 are indicated additional locking screws for gripping the looptransferring instruments 13 when assembled between the bar it; and thesecuring plate 30.

What we claim then is:

1. For a full fashioned hosiery machine, a welt bar provided with aseries of hooked welt instruments, and a corresponding separate seriesof one-piece channel-shaped loop transferring instruments adapted tohouse the welt instruments, the welt instruments being movablerelatively to the loop transferring instruments and withdrawable intothe latter to positions clear of the open operative ends thereof, thehooks of the welt instruments, when so withdrawn, being safely coveredby the channel-shaped bodies of the loop transferring instruments, andthe operative ends of the loop transferring instruments being adap ed toreceive the hooks and sheath the heads of needles to which loops are tobe transferred.

2. For a full fashioned hosiery machine, a composite welt bar devicecomprising, in combination, a bar, a series of hooked welt instrumentsfitted in said bar, an associated second bar, and

a corresponding separate series of one-piece channel-shaped looptransferring instruments fitted in said second bar, the first mentionedbar being movable relatively to the second mentioned bar from oneposition in which the welt instruments are fully projected with theirhooks extending in advance of the open operative ends of the looptransferring instruments to another position in which the said hooks arewithdrawn into the loop transferring instruments to inoperativepositions behind the said operative ends thereof, and vice versa, andthe said open operative ends of the loop transferring instruments beingadapted to receive the hooks and sheath the heads of needles to whichloops are to be transferred.

3. A welt bar device according to claim 2, wherein the channel-shapedloop transferring instruments each have permanently separated sides, apointed operative end, and shoulders located behind the pointed end.

4. For a full fashioned hosiery machine, a composite welt bar devicecomprising, in combination, a bar having formed therein slots and alongitudinal series of holes, a series of welt instruments each formedwith a relatively fine hook and a stem which is wider than the said hookand which has a down-turned tail, the said instruments being mounted inthe slots in the bar and located in the latter by engagement of theirdown-turned tails in the aforesaid holes, a holding bar locked to thefirst mentioned bar to secure the welt instruments therein, the two carstogether with the welt instruments constituting a unitary hooked weltbar, an associated third bar, and a corresponding separate series ofone-piece channel-shaped loop transferring instruments fitted in saidthird bar, the hooked welt bar being movable relatively to the third barfrom one position in which the welt instruments are fully projected withtheir hooks extending in advance of the open operative ends the looptransferring instruments to, another position in which the said hooksare withdrawn into the loop transferring instruments to inoperativepositions behind the said operative ends thereof, and vice versa, andthe said open operative ends of the loop transferring instruments beingadapted to receive the hooks and sheaths the heads of needles to whichloops are to be transferred.

5. For a full fashioned hoisery machine, a welt bar device comprising,in combination, a bar, a series of hooked welt instruments fitted insaid bar, an associated second bar having grooves therein, acorresponding separate series of loop transferring instruments fitted inthe said grooves, each of said loop transferring instruments being ofsingle-piece U-section hollow form from end to end and having a point atits leading end, transfer shoulders behind the said point and recessesformed in the edges of its side walls, a plate serving to secure theloop transferring instruments in the said second bar and having thereona locating formation engaged in the aforesaid recesses, and a spacingbar interposed between and serving to connect the said second bar andthe securing plate so as to produce a hollow structure having a spacetherein accommodating and permitting relative movement back and forth ofthe first mentioned bar fitted with the welt instruments, the lastmentioned instruments being housed within the hollow loop transferringinstruments, the first mentioned bar being movable from an advancedposition in which the welt instruments are fully projected with theirhooks extending in front of the points of the loop transferringinstruments to another position in which the said hooks are withdrawninto and protected by the hollow bodies of the loop transferringinstruments behind the points thereof, and vice versa, and the openoperative ends of the loop transferring instruments being adapted toreceive the hooks and sheathe the heads of needles to which loops are tobe transferred.

6. For a full fashioned hosiery machine, a composite welt bar devicecomprising, in combination, a bar having formed therein slots and alongitudinal series of holes, a series of welt instruments each formedwith a relatively fine hook and a stem wider than the hook and having adown-turned tail, the said instruments being mounted in the slots in thebar and located in the bar by engagement of their down-turned tails inthe aforesaid holes, a holding bar locked to the first mentioned bar tosecure the welt instruments therein, the two bars together with the weltinstruments constituting a unitary hooked welt bar, an associated thirdbar having grooves therein, a corresponding separate series of looptransferring instruments fitted in the said grooves, each of said looptransferring instruments being of single-piece U-section hollow formfrom end to end and having a point at its leading end, transfershoulders behind the said point and recesses formed in the edges of itsside walls, a plate serving to secure the loop transferring instrumentsin the said third bar and having thereon a locating formation engaged inthe aforesaid recesses, and a spacing bar interposed between and servingto connect the third bar and the securing plate so as to produce ahollow structure having a space therein accommodating and permittingrelative movement back and forth of the hooked welt bar, the weltinstruments being housed within the hollow loop transferringinstruments, the hooked welt bar being movable from an advanced positionin which the welt instruments are fully projected with their hooksextending in front of the points of the 8 8. A welt bar device accordingto claim 6, wherein the back edge of the stem of each welt instrument isrecessed to receive the point of the corresponding loop transferringinstrument.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,542,563 Williams June 16, 1925 1,995,643 Miller Mar. 26,1935 2, 90,664 Howie "a Feb. 20, 1940 2,383,350 Smetana Aug. 21, 1945

